Engineering Degrees Part of North Park’s Commitment to Science

Two new programs launching Fall 2014

CHICAGO (February 21, 2014) — In recent years, North Park University has focused its efforts on meeting the growing demand for science and health education, training students to be leaders of industries that will help shape the future. This has meant a number of things, from new facilities to increased scholarship opportunities.

The next stage of this scientific focus will launch this coming fall with the expansion of undergraduate engineering programs at North Park. Students interested in pursuing careers in innovation and technology can receive the engineering education they want with the flexibility of three degree options.

“Recently I had a student in my office and I asked them what they want to be doing five years from now,” said Linda McDonald, assistant professor of physics. “I asked them, 'What is your dream job?' With these three engineering programs to go with our two physics options, no matter the student's dream, we have a way to get them there. That’s what a smaller school like North Park can do.”

The first new program is an innovative dual-degree partnership with North Park University and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) College of Engineering.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in the full academic and community life of both universities and, in just five years, earn both a BS in engineering from UIC and a BS in physics from North Park University. They will be equipped for immediate careers or for advanced research at the graduate level.

“There is a critical need for people who both understand the technology they develop and can appreciate the cultural, political, and economic impact of that technology on our lives and the lives of future generations,” McDonald said. Having the opportunity to learn critical thinking skills in a traditional liberal arts program at North Park University, in addition to engineering training in a premier research school at UIC, prepares students to be effective leaders in designing the cities and industries of the future.

Students will major in either civil or mechanical engineering while at UIC, which is continually ranked as one of the top engineering programs in the country.

For students interested in completing an entire engineering degree at North Park, the Department of Physics and Engineering will offer a bachelor of arts in engineering starting this fall. Either on its own, or as a complement to another undergraduate major, students will explore how science and technology continually engage and shape different disciplines and professions.

North Park will also continue to offer its flexible 3/2 program, which provides a foundation in liberal arts and critical thinking. With this degree option, undergraduates spend their first three years at North Park before transferring to another engineering institution. At the completion of their engineering degree, they receive both their bachelor's in engineering and a BA in physics from North Park.

These three programs are an important component of preparing students for lives of significance and service in the 21st century. As an engineer, or as a professional with an engineering background, North Park alumni will be reay to lead advances in technology and sustainability that reinforce North Park’s commitment to God and to the world.

Students in the new programs will also be a part of the first class to utilize the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life. Science and health education will have a new home in the state-of-the-art building that puts technological opportunity at student’s fingertips.

“We are proud to provide a range of options in engineering for students that have an interest and an ability,” said Dr. Joseph Jones, provost of North Park University. “This has long been an area of demand and with our new science facilities we can now serve these students with great resources and wonderful faculty.”

To find out more about the engineering programs, contact North Park University's Office of Admissions.

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